I stood before the target, my brow furrowed in deep concentration.
With my left hand gripping the scabbard's mouth and my right firmly on the hilt, I drew my left foot back slightly, lowering my center of gravity.
The target looming before me was a massive log, as thick as a grown man's embrace. It was the sort of obstacle that would surely deflect a blade if the angle of the strike were even a hair's breadth off.
I exhaled a long, steady breath, then pulled the air back into my lungs. And then...
"Hah!"
In a flash, I drew the sword. At that precise microsecond, the pressure of the water I had compressed within the scabbard was unleashed, propelling the blade outward with terrifying speed.
I manipulated the erupting stream, coating the steel in a thin, shimmering veil of fluid, and swung the blade in a single, fluid arc!
The log was severed cleanly. The bottom half remained perfectly still, rooted to the spot, while the upper portion slid away and hit the earth with a dull, heavy thud.
"Ohhh!!"
A chorus of cheers erupted from the cluster of servants and knights who had been watching the display. A few even broke into enthusiastic applause.
Feeling a prickle of embarrassment, I scratched my cheek, only to see Heliotrope approaching me with slow, graceful steps. Her usual mask of cool beauty seemed a fraction softer today.
"Exquisitely done, Master," Heliotrope said. "Your Iai¹ has finally begun to take its proper shape."
"Thanks," I replied. "It's only because you helped me, Heliotrope. Even so, it took over a year to get here."
* * *
Nearly two years had slipped by since I found myself reincarnated into this world.
I wanted to say it had been a productive year, but if I were honest, my first twelve months as a resident of the Duke house² had been entirely consumed by study, sword swings, and a desperate, unrelenting diet. Curse it all!
Mastering high-speed swordsmanship through Water Magic³ had been a monumental task. To call it 'difficult' felt like an insult to the sheer struggle I had endured.
It was a constant cycle of trials that nearly made the word 'hardship' lose all meaning.
The process involved compressing water to a high pressure, giving the flow a specific direction upon release, and then forcing that water—which desperately wanted to explode in every direction—to cling to the edge of my blade.
It was a phenomenon that practically insulted the laws of physics, requiring incredibly delicate control over my magic.
There had been many days when the sword had simply flown out of my hands, or I had ended up soaked to the bone by a watery burst, or the vectors of force had gone so spectacularly wrong that I'd actually dislocated my shoulder. When one faces such disasters daily, one becomes quite motivated to succeed.
To improve my control, I had spent countless hours in the sprawling gardens of the estate, diligently watering the plants. It had been worth the effort.
The vibrant flora of the garden each required unique care; the amount of water needed varied from flower to flower, providing the perfect practice for my fine-tuning skills. On the plus side, I had become quite friendly with the gardeners.
Surely, there were few people in the annals of reincarnation history who had essentially turned themselves into human watering cans for the sake of magical training.
As a side note, I felt my relationship with Heliotrope had improved significantly over these two years.
Though she served as my combat instructor, she remained my personal maid as well. Since I had dissolved her slavery contract, she now felt quite free to scold or berate me on a daily basis... which, now that I thought about it, made me question if we were actually 'getting along' at all.
Still, she would occasionally grace me with a smile, which led me to hope I had earned some measure of her trust. Even if she did still look at me with icy eyes most of the time.
Heliotrope, already a stunning combat maid, had only grown more beautiful with time. She possessed the lithe, statuesque height of a model, and while slender, she was—wait, I could feel a sudden surge of murderous intent in the air!
She was currently around sixteen or seventeen, and would likely only grow more radiant. Recently, my father had returned to the territory and had been caught looking at her with a rather unseemly expression... honestly, I wished the man would stop ogling his son's maid!
In this world, following the typical traditions of medieval fantasy, polygamy was perfectly legal.
My father apparently had a collection of concubines and mistresses in addition to my mother, the legal wife. They didn't reside here in the Weltheim⁴ main estate; they were likely tucked away in the royal capital or private villas. Truly, the man lived up to the reputation of being the father of a villainous noble.
I had already told Heliotrope that if my father ever tried to entice her, she was free to use my name as a shield to refuse. Given her martial prowess, the Duke couldn't exactly force her, but as he was the head of the house, any physical retaliation from her would make things incredibly complicated.
When I had told her this, the unusually demure look on her face had left quite an impression on me.
Author:
And now, to the moment everyone had been waiting for. Perhaps he had kept them waiting too long.
Two years of hardship. It had been long, it had been painful, and there were many times he had felt ready to snap.
But finally... finally... his diet was a success! Queue the fanfare and the celebration! He had endured the pain and conquered his own flesh!
Was his excitement a bit over the top? Yes, he was well aware.
But how could it not be? His physical volume had quite literally been cut in half!
Now, he stood as a trim, silver-haired young man, radiating the natural elegance of high nobility. With this character design, there was no way he'd be discarded as a mere minor villain... Kraut, you fool, why couldn't you have tried just a little harder before I got here!
Ah, right. The developers probably wouldn't have allowed it.
Regardless, the formidable foe known as 'obesity' had been defeated. His original sword technique was ready. It was time to move on to the next phase.
The 'Villainous Noble Son Reformation Project' was officially entering its second chapter.
Summary:
Kraut successfully demonstrates his new high-speed Iai technique, which combines swordsmanship with pressurized water magic. He reflects on the two grueling years of training and dieting he has endured since his reincarnation. His relationship with his maid, Heliotrope, has evolved into one of mutual (if occasionally prickly) respect. Having transformed his body and his skills, Kraut declares the end of his initial preparation phase. He is now ready to begin the next stage of his plan to avoid his villainous fate.
Character Insight:
Kraut demonstrates remarkable discipline and long-term planning, spending two full years on 'boring' tasks like gardening and repetitive practice to master a single skill. His decision to free Heliotrope from slavery, while still maintaining their professional bond, shows a moral compass that diverges from the original 'Kraut' character. His internal monologue reveals a meta-awareness of his situation, treating his life as a 'project' to be managed. This shift from a lazy, gluttonous noble to a focused warrior-in-training marks the true beginning of his divergence from the game's script.
Behind the Scene:
The title of the chapter is a parody of the 'That Time I Got Reincarnated as a...' light novel naming convention. The author uses Kraut's internal monologue to bridge the time skip, explaining how he gained his current power level without needing to show every single day of the two-year gap.
T/L:
¹ ↩ Iai: A style of Japanese swordsmanship (Iaido) focusing on the ability to quickly draw a sword and strike in one motion.
² ↩ Duke house: Referring to the Koshaku (Duke) rank, the highest tier of nobility below the royal family in Japanese fantasy settings.
³ ↩ Water Magic: In this setting, Kraut uses magical manipulation of water to create mechanical advantages, specifically hydraulic pressure for his sword.
⁴ ⁴ Weltheim: The surname and primary territory name for Kraut's family.
Notes:
• Heliotrope - Kraut's exclusive maid, fifteen years old (six years older than Kraut). She has long black hair reaching her waist and a cool, beautiful face. She is a 'slave battle maid' who was formerly a noble lady from a fallen northern country. She wears a Victorian-style long-dress maid outfit.
• Kraut - The eldest son of a Duke's family (9 years old). He has blue eyes, a straight nose, and short silver hair. Handsome and now he is slender.